The walls of this Mitsubishi Tank seem almost impossibly thin, and the number of openings and rivets apparently made it an easy target. Our tour guide, and a fellow on our tour who was the son of a veteran told us how shooting at the body of the tank, or it’s seams, even if it didn’t directly cause the tank to fail, would likely send a rivet through the driver.
I think the fact that it’s a Mitsubishi is interesting as well—simply because it points out the ways in which so many major companies and products, from IBM to nylons, that we use every day, are linked to a military history.
Also, it brings to my mind something about the seductive allure of technology and the hubris it sometimes engenders. I’ve always been a Mitsubishi fan—I used to daydream with my friends about how much fun it would be to drive an Evo at breakneck speeds through the Rockies. But, not only would it be terrible on gas, and for the environment, if I were to race over the Rockies, I likely would break my neck.